Graduation
by Soulreciever
Summary: With the 'arangement' between Kamui and Seishiro revealed everything has begun to change...yet has this change been for the positive or... 'Education' sequal. Slash. AU
1. Shinken

Graduation.

1. Shinken.

T: Firstly I need to say that the CCD crossover becomes more prevalent in this one; however, I'm twiddling with the characters a little so you'll only need a basic knowledge of the series. Secondly, this is a sequel to 'Education' and you defiantly have to read that one before this will make sense! There shall be a little more angst in this one…please don't let that fact scare you away!

I own nothing apart from the plot…something for which I hope you will forgive me!

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Keiichi eventually leaves at the stroke of ten with the promise to return as soon as he can manage with Kamui's assignments for the week and with any 'gossip' he thought Kamui would have want to hear.

Kamui remains awake for another hour after that, his mind bent on the sudden revelation he had come to and what he planned to do now that he knew this truth.

He then falls into a restless sleep full of an odd dream that, thought oblique, makes an odd sort of sense to him.

…He was dancing in darkness, the one light source coming from above his head.

…Mirrors surrounded him, suddenly, and in each of the reflections he saw Fuuma's face rather than his own.

….The mirrors shatter and suddenly he is bathed in the smoky lights of a club.

….All about him is the press of bodies and the smiling faces of strangers.

…Stood the edges of the crowd were five individuals, their backs turned away from Kamui.

…A sixth figure stands towards him, its face, for the moment, hidden within shadow.

….He begins to push his way through the crowd, a desperation within him to see this other's face.

…He is but an arms reach from the figure when he realises that there is another stood a little behind him.

…This other has a thick black cloth about his eyes and yet he knows it still to be Seishiro.

…The Sakurazuka smiles and pushes his companion into the light.

…Kamui regards Subaru's face a long while and then the Sumeragi places his hands before his eyes.

….The scars burn upon the backs of his hands and Kamui is all but hypnotised by their light when a hand comes to rest on his shoulder.

He registers the soothing vermilion of Keiichi's eyes before the tendrils of the dream begin to decompose and he wakes into the muggy twilight of the early morning.

There is a note awaiting his inspection when he steps into the living room, the intricate curl of the hand writing a perfection he associates instantly with Seishiro.

'Kamui-kun,

I have been unexpectedly called away for the day and I fear I must ask you to fend for yourself.

There is a little yen in the wooden pot on the bedroom windowsill, please use it to purchase yourself some food and, should the fancy take you, a little entertainment.

I should be home by late afternoon, otherwise I shall call you.

Seishiro.'

He spends an hour from the house collecting a few basic supplies and enjoying the fine summer day and, upon returning, he finds Noruko waiting patiently for him on the doorstep.

The Imonoyama looks paler than is his want and his breathing contains an alarming rasping note that is more than a little disconcerting.

"Is something wrong, Imonoyama-san?"

"Not precisely, no." He recognises the hesitancy in the others voice and, fumbling for the key, he remarks,

"Come in, please."

The Imonoyama seems to settle a little once in the warmth of the house and Kamui allows him a moment of silence before enquiring,

"What is wrong?"

"We were called away early yesterday by a phone call from Akira-kun..."

_There is a concern in Akira's eyes that tells him quickly that this is a very serious matter and, a dread filling his stomach, he enquires,_

"_Has something occurred to the Shinken?"_

"_I have, upon your instruction, been maintaining a constant surveillance upon the integrity of the seal upon the Shinken and I have noticed several anomalies beginning to appear in the structure of the shield."_

_A_ _image of the Shinken appears on the main screen and Akira types in a sequence of codes to begin the assessment protocol. _

_Noruko can see the 'anomalies' the instant they begin to appear and, after a moment assessing their progress, he has come up with an answer for why they are there and a solution to destroy them._

"_This is clearly the work of the 'computer mistress' who resides on the side of the Angles. That being the case the current shield will be unable to retain its integrity for much longer."_

"_Noruko, I hope that you are not thinking as I believe you may be."_

_There is a dangerous look in Suoh's eyes and, in order to placate the other, he replies,_

"_I do not know what you mean."_

_They discuss the matter for an hour more and then Noruko asks for a little time to think on the problem alone._

_He is aware of Suoh's eyes upon him as the other leaves and yet he can not quite bring himself to act out some action that will convince the other that he is still considering possible solutions to this issue, rather than simply waiting for the moment when he can continue with his initial idea. _

"What was your solution?"

"I have bound my essence into the shield upon the Shinken."

"I do not understand what you mean by that, Imonoyama-san."

"The flaw with the previous shield was that it was designed to prevent the onslaught of either a physical or a spiritual attack, the energy of the 'computer mistress' is a composite of both these energies and thus the shield could not prevent it from entering into its matrix and weakening it from within.

"The logical solution was to create an equal composite energy within the shield that could match her attacks and defend from them. Such a thing would be risky, however, for damage to the shield would reflect back onto whomever had bound a little of their essence into the matrix.

"Thus it seemed logical that for one such as I to shoulder the burden…" The Imonoyama's 'mask' slips a little then and Kamui is given a glimpse at the true heart of the other. "I have been very selfish with my life, Kamui…have used my power and my influence to twist things until they fit into my plan.

"Thus I can not help but think that everything would be better without me…that he could be happier if I were gone."

"Yet to do something like this…"

"It has been my destiny to do this from the instant the Shinken crossed onto the campus."

He wishes to ask why this is, why the Imonoyama is talking as though he shall not live to see the conclusion of this war and yet…

He is afraid to learn the truth.

Is afraid to learn that yet another innocent life had been added to his tab.

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T: Yeh I'm not sure where I'm going with this either! Don't be afraid to comment…I really need the encouragement for this one! Next chapter up on Wednesday.


	2. Heart

2. Heart.

T: Hopefully this chapter speaks for itself so I'm going to keep my silence! Warnings remain the same and I still do not own anything other than what's left of the plot!

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He receives a rather odd phone call from Seishiro an hour after Noruko has left and, pulling on his coat, he heads up the street.

He comes, eventually, into the shadow of an imposing traditional style building that he knows, merely for the sakura he can see blossoming in the back garden, to be Seishiro's 'other' house.

The door opens and the Sakurazuka regards him a moment before he enquires,

"Why do you look so glum?"

"I have been informed of something that I had no want to hear."

"Something that has to do with a certain blond haired Imonoyama?"

"Were you eavesdropping?"

"I am insulted that you would even consider me capable of such a thing."

"How did you know it was to do with Noruko then?"

"Yours is not the first upset face that I have seen today." He pauses long enough that Kamui is about to ask for explanation and then, a teasing smile on his lips, he remarks, "Moving on, however, I wondered if you would care to join me for a little breakfast."

"Would it not have been simpler to arrange to meet at the restaurant?"

"You had a wish to see this house, did you not?"

"Still…"

For a brief instant as Seishiro steps from the house he can see the interior and, despite the luxury of the furnishings, his eyes are drawn to one thing alone.

There is a familiar white coat discarded, haphazardly, upon the floor and its presence within the house points to but one conclusion.

Subaru is Seishiro's successor.

………………………………………………………………………….

Seishiro had insisted that they 'take a stroll' after breakfast and he had agreed only because the other had been so very persistent that he do as such.

"I had hoped that breakfast might cheer you up and yet, if anything, you seem to have become even more maudlin."

"Do you consider me a 'game' Seishiro?"

"Why ask such a question now, Kamui-kun, when you have sacrificed so much in defence of me?"

"You called me to the house in order that I see Subaru's coat, did you not?"

"I thought it best you see the reality of what he is to me, for had I simply of spoken to you of that truth you would have convince yourself that I was tricking you."

"Yet if Subaru takes the Sakurazuka mantle…"

"He shall be forced to kill and for one as kind as he such a thing will be intolerable.

"However…"

"However?"

Seishiro shakes his head and, his fingers stretching to ruffle Kamui's hair, he remarks,

"For the moment it is best that you do not know this particular truth, your heart is already heavy with a great burden, after all and the weight of this truth may just be enough to destroy you."

There is an oddly serious note in Seishiro's voice and it is this, rather than anything else, that stops him from pushing the other further in this regard.

"You told me, on the phone, that you wished to 'tell me something', was this it or…?"

"I wished to inform you that I am stepping away from the war."

"Because of Subaru?"

"That is a part of my reasoning, yes."

"And the other part?"

"I have become attached to you, Kamui-kun and thus I have become a target for your other self."

"Why?"

"Because he has no wish for any but himself to influence the course of your life."

"How do you know such a thing?"

"Because it is easy to see your own faults within the eyes of others."

There is silence a moment and then Seishiro says,

"The boy who came to see you yesterday…"

"What of him?"

"How deep does your attachment to him flow?"

He had managed, what with one matter or another, to distract himself from the thought of his care for Keiichi and to be asked so direct a question makes him feel more than a little uncomfortable.

Indeed he can feel his cheeks flushing, this something that Seishiro seems to find infinitely amusing, for he begins to chuckle contently to himself.

The levity lasts but a moment and then his expression fall again to its normal,

"Your shadowed self will not tolerate the presence of another within your heart and he will not hesitate to destroy that boy."

A panic ceases his heart then and informing Seishiro, "I have to go," he leaps in the direction of the Sunshine 60.

The ground is shaking already by the time he reaches the building and, the panic in his heart blooming into a wild thing, he continues into the building.

He asks each survivor he meets of Keiichi and each time he is met with either silence or a string of burbled nonsense.

A hand catches onto his ankle as he passes by the crumbled remains of Keiichi's apartment and, casting his eyes downwards, he is met with the ravaged body of Keiichi's mother.

She has been impaled beneath a large chunk of masonry and, judging by the puddle of blood beneath her, the injury is fatal.

"Forgive me." He remarks as he bends to touch her face.

A weak smile crosses her lips and she informs him,

"You are not responsible for this."

"What happened?"

"A boy came to see us earlier…he was an odd boy with such old eyes and he was so short with Keiichi...despite this my son left with that boy and a little after that the ground began to tremble.

"I thought that I heard my boy crying out and so, thought I knew how dangerous it was, I stepped into the hallway…"

"Where did the cry come from?"

"The roof."

"Thank you, Segawa-san."

"Tell my son that he has made me proud, Shirou-kun."

"You have chance to tell him yourself, Segawa-san, I promise."

Fuuma waits for him on the roof, his foot pressed hard against Keiichi's ribcage.

"It seems I was right to chase this boy."

"Keiichi has done nothing to hurt anyone…is free from this war…"

"It is true that this boy possesses no connection to 'the end of the world', yet that which he does posses is of a greater worth to me."

"I will not let you hurt him." He remarks as he gathers the tendrils of his power to him.

"Yet you can not strike me without striking this boy also."

He knows that this is true, knows that Fuuma has him all but defeated and he is about to admit such a thing when a familiar voice remarks,

"Soon enough such a thing will not be an issue."

The barrier of a Kekkai rises then before him and he watches, entranced, as Keiichi's form fades away and Subaru comes to stand before him.

There is a confidence in the Onmyoji's features that he has never seen before and he comprehends well that this is due to the 'resolution' of the matter between Subaru and Seishiro.

Fuuma regards this confidence with a confident smile upon his lips and, after a moment, he remarks, "It seems that I must rid myself of a small nuisance before I can destroy that boy, "as he throws an attack towards Subaru.

Kamui tenses to aid Subaru in the fight and finds, much to his displeasure, that Fuuma had bound his limbs to his side.

Thus he is forced to watch as the pair fight…

Is forced to watch as the matter reaches its terrible conclusion.

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T: Yep I'm nothing more than a big meeny…actually I'm really sorry about the cliffy, kind of forgot it was there! Eh heh! Next chapter Sunday at the latest until then perhaps you'd like to see what happens when you press that blue button down there…


	3. Destiny

3. Destiny.

T: I again apologise for how prolific the CCD crossover has become…kind of backed myself into a corner! Moving on, however, beware the odd logic in this one and the slight cliff hanger ending. Warnings remain the same and I still own nothing!

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When he awakes he is in the familiar white walled prison of a hospital ward and his skin is bound again with white gauze that smells, strongly, of antiseptic.

There is another in the room with him and it takes him but an instant to recognises the closed in features of the campus security secretary.

"Takumura-san?"

The other is at his side but an instant later, his hand pressing to chest in order to prevent him from sitting up.

"Do not move so swiftly, Shirou-kun, you have been greatly injured."

"Yet how? The last I recall I was easting breakfast with Seishiro."

"The other Kamui thought to harm you by harming one you hold dear and thus he thought to destroy the sunshine 60.

"You went to stop him and Sumeragi-san followed in order to give you aid and yet…

"Something occurred and the building began to fall upon you. Luckily Sumeragi-san had had the forethought to contact the other seals and they managed to extricate you before you were too badly crushed."

"What of Keiichi and Subaru?"

"Segawa-kun has been admitted into the hospital but I believe his wounds are deeper emotionally than they are physically. As to Sumeragi-san…"

He is greeted, suddenly, with an image of Fuuma standing over Subaru, his fingers buried deep into the Onmyoji's right side.

"He has lost vision in his right eye?"

"Yes."

There is a moment of silence and then Kamui enquires,

"Why are you here Takumura-san?"

"I wished to ask you a question and yet, in the end, it seems I am too much a coward to do as such."

"You are no coward, Takumura-san."

"No? When I was younger I met a boy who made me feel always uneasy and instead of facing him I turned away.

"Had he not been persistent then I would never have gained the chance to know him or to understand why it was that he so disconcerted me."

"You were you and such a reaction is more than understandable."

"Yet I have done the same thing three times since.

"The first time was when I lied to a woman I considered as a sister, hurt our friendship due to that lie, simply because I was not courageous enough to tell her the truth.

"The second was when I walked away from Noruko rather than remaining at his side, simply for fear of showing him too much of myself.

"The third has been my reluctance to ask you that which I consider the most important of questions."

"I do not see cowardice in these three things, Takumura-san; instead I see compassion, trust and love.

"By telling the woman a lie you showed her compassion, for you understood that lie would hurt her less than the truth.

"In allowing Imonoyama-san time alone when he is in crisis you have shown that you trust him to make a rational judgement.

"Finally in hesitating in asking your question you have shown that you love Imonoyama-san very much and thus fear my answer greatly."

"Sakurazuka-san said that you were 'observant' and that you had a gift for making people believe in a truth they had always before thought foolish, or ignored simply for blind ignorance."

"Then your was the other 'sad face' he saw yesterday?"

"I saw him on the street and my irrational heart took control of my limbs…he trapped me, all but instantly, within an illusion and then asked me why I was being as I was.

"When it became clear to him that I would give no rational answer to that question he let me go with a promise to talk to me again when he better understood.

"It was a promise he fulfilled this morning when our paths again crossed."

"Which is why you came to see me?"

"Yes."

"You wish to ask me 'what has Noruko done', do you not?"

"Yes."

He tells the Takumura everything that the Imonoyama had told him and by the time he concludes the tale the Takumura's face has soured considerably.

"I had feared that he had gone through with the idea and yet I had hoped that my displeasure would be enough for him to hesitate."

"When he talked to me of this being his 'destiny' I wished to know what he meant. However, I was afraid to learn that another innocent life had been added to my tally."

"And now?"

"Now I wish to hear this story in hopes that it may hide a way to protect his life."

"While she was pregnant with Noruko his mother went to see the 'sleeping princess' beneath the Diet Building.

"Hinoto told her of the 'Year of Destiny', of the need for the Shinken to be protected and of the role she would play in this protection.

"Noruko's mother crafted the campus into the layout you see today and, on the day the matrix was complete, she gave birth to her child.

"Each day she brought Noruko to the heart of the pentagram and each day she told him, 'this campus was born on the very day you were born and thus you exist in tandem. The pentagram is the heart and soul of this world and thus it is also your hear and your soul.'

"I believe she meant only to instil a sense of responsibility into her son and yet Noruko took the words to heart…began to believe that his heart and his soul existed for the same purpose as the centre of the pentagram."

"To protect the Shinken?"

"Yes and yet 'protecting' a thing and 'guarding' it are two different concepts. To 'guard' is to keep something from those who would wish it 'harm' while 'protecting' a thing means keeping it from the possession of all individuals.

"Had the intent of the pentagram's centre been merely to 'guard' there would have been a risk that the shadowed Kamui would be able to touch it, for he wishes only to 'harm' his other self.

"Thus the pentagram's centre recognises all individuals as a 'threat' to the Shinken and thus you will be forced to destroy it in order to reclaim your sword."

"Yet if I shatter the protection upon the Shinken."

"Noruko will die."

"Did he know this?"

"Yes."

"Then why would he continue onwards?"

"Because he believed it his destiny, because he wished to help you as much he possibly could and because of myself."

"How can you hold any blame?"

"Because he believes he has hurt me in the most unforgivable of ways…you see the woman that I told you of before had been my girlfriend when I was younger and I believe she held a belief in her mind that I would, one day, propose to her.

"However, I had come to realise, over time, that I loved her only as one loves a sister and that my heart belonged solely to Noruko.

"Such a thing would be unbearable for her to hear, however, and so I told her 'I must dedicate my life completely to my "one" and thus I can not marry.'

"She cried at those words, begged me to let my life as a Takumura go and when I refused she turned cold and walked from my life.

"I believed that would be an end to it and yet she went to Noruko…manipulated him with her tears…

"He was so angry with me, demanded to know why I believed my 'duty' more important than love and, wishing to keep the lie, I had replied that I always kept my promises.

"Thus he began to believe that he had been responsible for the breaking of my 'engagement' and though he has not talked of it since I believe that the guilt of such a thing is what brought about this act."

"You need to tell him the truth, Takumura-san."

"What good would such an action be?"

"He needs to see how foolish he has been, needs to realise that he has made this choice in error and then he will let go his connection to the Shinken."

"I do not know if he can 'let it go'"

"Then I shall find another way to server this bind."

Kamui brightens at the sound of Subaru's voice and yet, as the Sumeragi crosses over the threshold of the room, this joy fades away into uncertainty.

For Subaru is not, as he had expected, blind in one eye.

The organ present now in the right side of his face is not, however, his own, for it is of a unique hazel hue that Kamui had seen only once before.

Subaru notes the weight of Kamui's gaze upon him and raising his fingers to caress the new eye he remarks,

"Seishiro did not appreciate the mar of another's hand upon my face and though I told him that I wished for this…though I little liked to be reminded of his hidden selfishness…he gave me his own eye to erase that mar."

"Then Seishiro…"

"He is blind."

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T: Warned you! Not too much to say here…next chapter Tuesday at the latest until then how about giving generously to a comment deprived authoress?

Just press the blue button!


	4. Vision

4. Vision.

T: Nothing much to say about this chapter so strait onto the disclaimer…I own only the flimsy plot, please pity me this fact!

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Seishiro has a cloth furled about his eyes and the instant that Kamui sees this he is reminded of his dream. He knows this coincidence means that his dreams have been being tampered with and yet, for the moment, he has no want to dwell on such a thing.

"I would ask you 'why' and yet…"

"You know as much as you need to."

"Precisely." Kamui regards the other a moment and then, fearful of what his answer might be, he enquires, "What shall you do with yourself now?"

"I have no wish, as yet, to leave Subaru's side and my 'work' will not be affected by this infliction."

"Really?"

"Indeed for either I shall find a way to adapt to the loss or…"

"Or?"

"The sakura may offer to restore that which I have lost."

"I was not aware that it had such a power."

"You are curious, I suppose, as to why it did not restore my right eye when I lost it?"

"Yes."

"It did not do as such because the eye served to remind me of that day and of what I had done."

"Is that not a little 'sentimental' for one such as you?"

"Yes but then I am always a little 'emotional' when it comes to Subaru."

"Because you love him?"

"Because he is my successor." The statement is as an end to this particular conversation and the silence that falls then between them is broken only as Subaru steps into the room and remarks,

"The doctor is content to release you tomorrow, Seishiro, but no earlier."

"It was worth a try, I suppose."

Subaru rounds the bed and, settling into the chair opposite that which Kamui occupies, he tangles his fingers into Seishiro's.

"I wish to apologise for my anger the last we talked, Kamui and for allowing my envy to come between us."

"I understand why acted as you did, for we are very similar people and you could not help but wonders why, if Seishiro had 'chosen' me, you had been turned aside."

Subaru nods, then informs him,

"I have decided to step away from the war and I have chosen to inform Soratta of the complete truth of this matter."

"Do you wish me to come with you?"

"No, it is better I do it alone."

Glancing to Seishiro he enquires,

"Do you know of the Shinken's current situation, Seishiro?"

"I am aware that there is something going on, yes, but I remain still ignorant to the details of the matter."

"Imonoyama-san has bound his essence to the matrix of the shield."

"I see." Seishiro's smile has become empty and, aware of what such a thing means, Kamui enquires,

"What have I not been told?"

"A spell such as the one Imonoyama-san has performed requires a blood bind and such things are notoriously difficult to break without harming the one whom has performed it." Subaru replies.

"Yet then why tell Takumura-san that there was a way to break the spell?" Kamui enquires.

"Because we shall have need of his hope and because I am certain there is a way to do this without harming Imonoyama-san."

Seishiro's fingers tighten fractionally upon Subaru's hand and, wishing to allow the pair a moment's privacy, Kamui informs them,

"I am going to go and see Keiichi." Before he stands from his chair and steps out into the hallway.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Keiichi's hospital room is completely dark when Kamui crosses the threshold and recalling Suoh's words of warning he prepares himself for a rocky visit.

"Keiichi, I am going to switch the light on."

"No." Though the sound of the voice is as Keiichi's the downward cadence of the word makes it all but alien to Kamui's ears.

"Might I come and sit with you then?"

As there is, on this occasion, no emphatic refusal, Kamui makes his way, by use of his hands, to the chair at Keiichi's bedside.

"As I was carried, forcefully, from that building I saw my mother's body pinned beneath the rubble.

"I asked for my 'saviour' to place me down a moment and I was pulled, for the very last time, into her embrace.

"She told me of how very proud she was of me, of how she would wait, with tousan, and accompany me to the next life.

"Then she made me promise that I would lead a happy life." He can hear the tears in those words and, at last, he understands the others reluctance for illumination.

"Keiichi, I do not believe she would begrudge you a few tears."

"I can pay for them with a smile, yes?"

"A true smile, Keiichi, not one that you have to force."

A warm hand comes to rest then upon his cheek and he can not quite suppress the urge to blush.

"I did not know his face and yet his eyes…when I first saw them they reminded me so much of your eyes, Kamui, the similarity so strong that I found myself listening to his words even though they were harsh…even though his presence made my skin crawl.

"I could do nothing but go with him when he asked me and suddenly his eyes seemed so very different to yours…suddenly I could see him for who he truly was…

"By then it was too late, however, and he began to strike at me…"

"Keiichi, I wish to promise that you shall never again follow that other…for if I lost you…"

"He told me that I had something that was his…that for possessing that thing I had been sentenced to die…to what did he refer, Kamui? For as far as I am aware I own nothing of high value."

"'value' is a thing of perception, Keiichi and to my shadowed self that which you unknowingly posses is as the greatest of things."

"Yet what is it?"

"My heart."

There is a small hitch in the others breath and Kamui does not comprehend whether this is a positive thing or a negative.

Indeed it is only when he feels the pressure of Keiichi's lips against his own that he knows, beyond doubt, that the other feels something more for him than simply friendship.

…………………………………………………………………………………

Soratta has attempted, several times, to stop himself from staring at the new right eye and yet no matter the strength of his effort his gaze always returns.

It is something Subaru is becoming use to already, something that gives him a perverse amusement, for the moment, however he wishes the others full attention and thus he enquires,

"Shall I cover it over for the moment?"

Soratta flinches and, at last, his eyes settle onto a middle distance a little to the left of Subaru's head.

"Forgive me, Sumeragi-san."

"It is quite alright…I understand, after all, how odd this eye will look to others."

There is a moment of uncomfortable silence and then Soratta enquires,

"What is it that you wished to talk to me about?"

"I have decided to step away from this war."

"May I ask why?"

"Because I am in love with the Sakurazukamori and because I know now that he feels in kind."

"I see."

"I wished also for you to know that Kamui has not truly betrayed your trust, for Seishiro is not truly your enemy."

"Was he not the cause of the collapse of Nago Sun? Is he not also a member of the Dragons of Earth?"

"Nago Sun would have fallen even without Seishiro's involvement…as to his part within the Dragon's of Earth…"

"Is he too 'stepping from the war'?"

"Yes."

"I cannot easily forget the lives he has so causally destroyed, nor can I forget what it is that he does for a 'living'…"

"However?"

"I am willing to allow him the 'benefit of the doubt'"

"Thank you, Soratta."

"You can thank me my assuring that I never have cause to doubt this faith, Sumeragi-san."

"As I shall."

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T: Still little to say! Next chapter Sunday until then how about you tell me what you think? Go on I won't bite honest!


	5. Spell

5. Spell.

T: Out early because I had more free time than I thought and because I've hit another spot of inspiration! Nothing to note about this chapter and so my first review!

Nonymous-chan: Firstly thank you for your kindness and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! As to the formal nature of the conversation…I'm aware that sometimes I'm a bit too intense with the formality but for me such language gives conversation a more serious edge that suits X as a series. I'm attempting to phase in slang, I really am It's just hard to break a habit! Please keep reading and keep nitpicking as it helps me improve!

Warnings remain the same and no I still can not claim ownership of anything other than the plot!

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They sit a while in the darkness, chatting amiably of simple things and enjoying the pleasure of one another's company.

Eventually Keiichi allows him to switch the light on and, once he can see the other clearly, he finds that his courage falters slightly.

"You are hesitant."

"You'll think me silly, Keiichi, but within the shadows it seemed like a dream to me and faced with 'reality' I find I am a little nervous."

"It is not 'silly' Kamui; in fact it is very sweet." He leans forwards to kiss him again and Kamui pulls towards the contact, desperate for the comfort he knows such a close embrace will bring him.

They separate eventually and grasping to Keiichi's hand he informs the boy,

"When I realised that my shadowed self intended to kill you my heart all but stopped.

"I also became a little inflammatory and it seems now very possibly that I would have done anything to get you safe again at my side.

"I can not again lose my control, Keiichi and so I would ask that you come 'home' with me once the doctor releases you.

"Do you mean your 'home' with Sakurazuka-san or with the Seals?"

"Does it make a difference?"

"Seeing the influence Sakurazuka-san has had upon you I believe that I could live content in his company, the Seals, however…"

"I understand."

"Then to which do you refer?"

"Though the Seals have been kind to me I have only ever felt truly relaxed in Seishiro's house, thus I consider it as much a 'home' as I am likely to have in this lifetime."

"Then I shall gladly come with you."

………………………………………………………………………………….

He is crossing the open expanse of the terrace when a scream catches his ears and, before he has even truly registered the sound, he is running towards it.

A small crowd is gathered about a familiar head of golden hair and, as he makes his way towards the recumbent figure, he overhears several whispered conversations that give him more information on the sequence of events leading to this conclusion.

The young woman who had been bestowed the privilege of 'looking after' the Imonoyama is, thankfully, one of his classmates and thus he is freed from the necessity of introducing himself. Indeed she passes her burden into his care once he is close enough and informs him,

"He seemed fine all of a moment ago, Sumeragi-san."

"He has been working very hard of late and I am certain that this is little more than fatigue, thus if you would be so good as to move the crowd on."

"Of course."

She stands and schooling her features into a blank mask she pointed off into the middle distance and enquired,

"Is that Imonoyama Rijin?"

Snarled into the possibility of catching a glimpse of one of Noruko's numerous elder brothers the crowd fans out and, tightening his hold fractionally upon his burden, Subaru sprints in the opposite direction to that which the mass was heading in.

He settles, eventually, in what seems a relatively reclusive spot and setting his burden to the floor he sets his hands to the others forehead.

A symbol flashes, momentarily, beneath his hands and then the Imonoyama's eyes are fluttering open.

"Did I collapse?"

"It seems that your body is not strong enough to cope both with the constant onslaught upon the shield and the backlash from the spell that has bound your soul to the matrix."

"How much longer do I have until it gives out completely?"

"A week, perhaps a little less if the attacks become any more intense than they are now."

"Four more Kekkai remain standing and yet I believe a week may be enough time…the other Kamui has only to shatter the barrier upon the Tokyo tower for the other to fall and pushed, as he begins to be, into a corner he is likely to reach for this swift conclusion."

"What if a week proves too little?"

"Then I shall push myself to endure the onslaught."

The Imonoyama attempts to stand then and yet, for the moment, he seems unable to perform even so basic an action.

"Would you allow me to sever the connection between you and the Shinken, Imonoyama-san, if there were another way to assure the swords safety?"

"Of course, yet there is no alternative solution and even if there were I do not believe that breaking my bond with the matrix shall be a simple thing."

"Yet while there is hope we must aspire towards it." This last is uttered by Suoh, who stands now but a little to their left.

"Suoh."

"I made my feelings clear in regard to this course of action and yet still you continued, still you say 'everything shall improve when I am gone'."

The Takumura comes to crouch at Noruko's side and, pulling the other into a hug, he remarks.

"Long ago I made a promise to protect you and through my trepidation I have managed to shatter that pledge…have driven you to this action…"

"This was my choice, Suoh."

"Yet you made it because you believed that you had hurt me, because you believed that my pledge to you had come between myself and true happiness."

"If not for me Nagisa would be…"

"I would never have married her, Noruko, for my heart felt only for her as a sibling."

"Yet you told her…"

"I lied to her, Noruko, to protect her heart and to protect my own."

"I do not understand."

Suoh chuckles a little at that and leasing his companion from his embrace he remarks,

"How odd it is that even with a mind such as yours you are unable to see so obvious a thing…I love you, Noruko."

"You do not mean that."

"I could not be any more sincere, love." He remarks as he pulls the other into a passionate kiss.

Subaru turns a little from the pair in order to allow them some privacy and it is only when the Imonoyama remarks, "I wish now to hope for a positive conclusion, Sumeragi-san." That he turns again to face them.

"I shall have need to know of how you bound your essence to the matrix of the shield and I shall need, also, to see the damage that had begun to appear upon the matrix before you made these 'alterations'."

"Come with me."

Noruko leads him into the labyrinth of the campus library and, after an hour of, what seems to him, aimless walking, the other pronounces,

"This is the occult section of the library and it is amongst these tomes that I learned the necessary incantations to create the spell."

Subaru regards the numerous tomes lining the shelves and enquires,

"Might you recall which you used, Imonoyama-san?"

"Give me a moment."

Stepping onto one of the many ladders that line the walls the Imonoyama pulls free four thick tomes and a small blue notebook.

"These books are clearly out of order and this notebook should not be here at all…I was certain that I had returned them and yet…" He drops the items into Subaru' waiting fingers and, smiling brightly, he remarks, "It seems that, at last, my disorganised manner has paid off."

He flips quickly through each item and then informs Noruko,

"I believe there is enough here to be of help. I shall need time, however, to create a counter spell and so I advise that you stop all unnecessary activities in order to allow your body the chance to be as strong as it can for this fight."

"This is the perfect chance then for Akira-kun to bake those new cakes he was so excited about yesterday and there is a little temple in Kyoto I have wanted to visit for a while…" The Imonoyama's voice begins to peter out as the other walks back into the maze of bookshelves and it is merely for the strength of Suoh's voice that he hears the other reply,

"Paperwork does not count as an 'unnecessary activity' Noruko."

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T: Thus ends the bulk of the CCD crossover…of course the spell will have to be dealt with but, apart from that, we're back to the story proper! Next update either Sunday or Monday depending, until then let me know what you think, good or bad!


	6. Infirmity

6. Infirmity.

T: Many of you will be glad to know that the plot finally makes a slight appearance in this chapter! Warnings remain the same and I fear that I still own nothing here other than the plot!

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He had expected Subaru to collect him from the hospital and, though it unsettles him to admit as such, he is a little…deflated…when he hears Kamui's voice.

"Where is Subaru?"

"Things with Imonoyama-san have taken a turn for the worse and Subaru has buried himself into the library in hopes if finding a solution that is beneficial to all involved."

"It can not be helped, I suppose…" He smiles then and remarks, "You sound happier, at least."

"Are you prying, Seishiro?"

"I am simply pursuing my curiosity."

"For the sake of your 'curiosity' then, Keiichi and I have come to an understanding."

"The other Kamui will not stop pursuing him."

"Thus I have asked him to come and live with me."

"Something that you were going to inform me of before it happened, yes?"

"I am telling you now, aren't I?"

There is a moment of silence and then he enquires,

"Would you take me to Ueno?"

"May I ask why you wish to go there?"

"I need to talk to the tree."

"About your eyes?"

"That is correct."

It is odd to trace so familiar a path in complete darkness and yet once he is used to this disconcertion he finds himself noticing subtle things that had, previously, been lost to him.

…The soft rhythm of the train passing over the tracks…

…The odd hush of the once busy streets…

…The faint scent of decomposing flesh wrapped well into the illusion of the tree.

"Which is yours then?" The question serves to remind him both that he is not alone and that, no matter how perceptive Kamui has become, the other has not the power to see beyond the trees disguise.

"Do you see the tree that sits a little on its own, the one that sits on top of a small rise in the ground?"

"You mean this one?" Kamui enquires as he sets Seishiro's fingers onto the rough solidity of a tree trunk.

He feels the pull of the sakura almost the instant his fingers make contact and smiling he responds, "Indeed," before he allows the trees illusion to furl about him.

All is silent for a moment and then the ancient voice of the tree enquires,

: Why did you do this::

'I could not allow the mark of another upon him'

: Such impulsiveness is little suited to the Sakurazukamori. :

'Are you going to "scold" me, tree-san?'

: What would the point be? For no matter how distasteful such a thing is to me I can do nothing but accept it. That boy is to be your successor and thus he makes you weak…thus he brings out in you a side that is something less than perfection. :

'Will you give me back my sight?'

: I shall and yet I wish you to know this is the last that I shall do such a thing for you…wish you to know that the next time you are gravely injured you shall have to rely merely on your own strength to recover. :

'It is duly noted'

He severs the connection between them then and for a brief instant he is lost still in darkness.

Then, as if his eyes are opening from a long sleep, the world about him falls into a clarity that he has not experienced for the greatest of times; for the tree has restored to him not only the sight in his left eye but that in his right also.

"How do they seem?" He enquires as he turns to catch Kamui's gaze.

"They suit you very well, Seishiro."

"But?"

"But they are not of the same hue as your original eyes."

"Of what hue are they?"

"They are of the deep blood red that one would associate with a camellia and though the hue is a little odd it suits you very well."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"You may take it as you wish."

There is a moment of silence and then he enquires,

"Have you a little spare time or is your 'husband' sat waiting for you?"

Kamui blushes a little for the endearment and replies,

"_Keiichi _has school to attend and thus he is not moving in until this evening. Why do you ask?"

"There was no particular reason."

"Then while we have a moment together I wondered if I might ask for some information from you."

"What sort of information?"

"I wish to know of your impression of my 'other self', of the details of the Sakurazukamori succession and a little more on your bond with the tree."

"The link between the sakura and I is something that not even I fully comprehend and, as I have said before, I have no wish for you to know more of the succession.

"To the matter of your 'other self', however…" He settles down onto the grass and, once Kamui has taken up the space at his side, he says, "Being in the company of that boy was as being with my younger self, for he has all of the impulses, passions and failings that I had while younger.

"You are thinking 'what does this mean for Fuuma' and I would tell you…"

"But"

"I do not believe that you shall appreciate what I have to say."

"No matter how distasteful it is to me I have a need to hear this truth, Seishiro."

"As Sakurazukamori I live in a world of illusions, this in order to hide away my one weakness and the advantages that weakness would give to my enemies.

"The shadowed mirror of your soul is also as such…"

"You mean to say 'the Dark Kamui' is little more than illusion?"

"Yes."

"Why would Fuuma do that then? Why kill Kotori and why pursue the 'end of the world'?"

"The intent of the Dragons of Earth is to allow this world to be 'reborn' free of the corrupting influence of humanity, Kamui; this is something that you would do well to note.

"As to the rest…your 'other self' is, as I, bestowed of an all consuming love that brings out a dark want to be as everything to they that we care for.

"Kotori was of importance to you and thus, though she was Fuuma's sister, she had to die."

"I do not believe that he would destroy her for so selfish a reason, nor do I believe, as you have wish for me to, that if was for such a reason that you destroyed Hokuto."

"I should tell you that such a belief is due, merely, to your lingering attachment to Fuuma. However, that would be as telling you but a partial truth."

"By which you infer that he, at least, had another reason for his actions."

"He wishes, more than anything else, for you to live, Kamui."

"He knew that I would die willingly if it meant his return…knew that I would have to be pushed into taking this fight seriously…thus he destroyed Kotori in the hope that such an act would be enough for me to hate him."

"That is correct."

Kamui fall then into a cognitive silence and Seishiro knows, simply for the expression on the others face, that the boy is best left, for the moment at least, to his own devices.

Eventually Kamui turns to face him and, an odd emotion encased in the violet of his eyes, he enquires,

"Did you kill Hokuto with this intent, Seishiro?"

He does not respond and yet Kamui clearly deems something from the way that he holds himself for, that odd emotion clear still in his eyes, he enquires,

"Why would you believe such a thing necessary? Why would you believe that Subaru would be happier without you there in his life?"

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T: Forgive the cliff hanger…it was either stop here or have an absolutely massive chapter and, as such endings give motive for you to keep reading that option won out! Next chapter Tuesday…in the interim why not occupy yourself by reviewing? I don't mind if you just say 'is good' or 'is bad' all comments will be appreciated!


	7. Wish

7. Wish.

T: Beware the continued psychobabble in this chapter, the semi OOC Seishiro and the slight increase in the angst factor…apart from this everything remains as it was including my non ownership of anything other than the plot!

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He contemplates the others words a great while and then he enquires,

"Why would you believe such a thing necessary? Why would you believe that Subaru would be happier without you there in his life?"

Seishiro regards him a moment with the unnerving red of his eyes and the he remarks,

"The truth is an easy thing to believe, Kamui and no matter what you think it is the truth."

"Why do you say such a thing with such powerful certainty?"

"We have, the both of us, been raised since infancy to be distrustful of the other…"

"I have no wish to listen to a false truth, Seishiro, especially one so cliché."

"Cliché or no it is the rout truth of this whole affair…mother taught me to be a killer, you see, to view all life as insignificant.

"Thus Hokuto was not the first 'innocent' that I had destroyed with my hands…thus I would have taken even Subaru's life had he not said what he did that day."

"Which was?"

"He asked if the bodies beneath the sakura were in pain and it was such an odd idea to me…such a foreign concept…that I wanted to learn a little more of the boy who had suggested it.

"Thus I burned my mark into his skin…spared his life…all that I could learn the workings of his mind and then destroy him completely." He stands then and, his face turning from Kamui, he remarks, "It was a grand psychological experiment and everything was going so very well until I took the blow meant of Subaru…before I began to understand that I had allowed my 'test subject' to become the entirety of my world.

"I continued onwards despite this revelation and it was only when he lay broken and impassive beneath my feet that my great plan began to unravel completely before me.

"For it was in that moment that I realised the perverted nature of my soul…realised that I loved Subaru and wished to kill him merely for the weakness that love represented.

"I hated myself for that selfishness, wished Subaru to hate me in return and yet I desired also Subaru's forgiveness…desired the chance to have him look at me again with kindness.

"These conflicting desires were not resolved in my heart when Hokuto came to me and I would have spared her if only she had given me chance…if only she had not pushed my hand.

"Her death lost me the hope of gaining Subaru's forgiveness and thus I turned my thoughts to earning his hate…to twisting the kindness in his heart until it blackened into the yearning for vengeance.

"When we met again I knew, simply for the fire in his eyes, that I had achieved at least this goal…knew that I could do nothing now other than to reinforce his hatred of me."

"Then why are you perusing still such a course when you have now a chance of gaining Subaru's forgiveness?"

"Such a hope is still empty for I have taken Hokuto from him and, sooner or later, he will be unable to push that fact from his mind…will turn his mind again towards my destruction."

Kamui gains his feet and, stepping in front of Seishiro, he informs the other,

"Subaru has no want to kill you, Seishiro."

"Can you also now see the wishes of others, Kamui?"

"Such a question is intended to turn me onto another path of discussion and thus I shall not answer it."

Seishiro raises a hand to ruffle at his hair and, an odd smile upon his lips, he remarks,

"You have grown up, Kamui."

He little likes the tone of the others voice and he almost thinks to back track upon his conviction in this matter.

Yet he knows that he had now Subaru's happiness in his hands and, stealing his nerve, he remarks,

"I have spent a great deal of time in Subaru's company, listening to the words he speaks and the words he chooses to keep silent.

"It is because of this contact that I have an idea of his wish…have an idea of how harmful your pursuit of death would be to him.

"Thus I ask you to talk to him, Seishiro, ask you to discuss this matter and allow him the chance to talk to you in return."

There is a moment of silence and then Seishiro informs him, "Keep yourself as free as possible today, Kamui, for Subaru may have a need for your company," before he smiles brightly and remarks, "I'd best be off."

………………………………………………………………………………….

His head is aching, the muscles in his fingers are protesting from the shear amount of writing he has done and still he finds himself no closer to a solution.

"I've brought you coffee." The sound of Seishiro's voice is an unlooked for comfort and he turns with the thought of thanking Kamui for bringing the elder man to him, only to discover that Seishiro is alone.

The odd hue of Seishiro's 'new' eyes informs him quickly of where they have come and Subaru wonders of the price that the tree had demanded for the organs.

The thought is lost, however, as the aforementioned beverage is set into his hands and Seishiro comes to sit tight against him.

"Any luck?"

"I've been working back through the process of Imonoyama-san's logic and I can understand the basic structure of the spell.

"Breaking it without harming Imonoyama-san or directing that harm back to myself, however…"

"Perhaps you should take a break?"

"I know that I am close, Seishiro and I'm afraid that if I step away from it the answer is going to slip out of reach."

"Write down your current thought process, then and that way you can return to the problem right where you left it." There is an odd note present in the others voice and, doing as he had instructed, Subaru enquires,

"What is the matter?"

"I wished a moment of your time."

Since the desperate flurry that had consumed him upon Seishiro's 'confession' he had gone out of his way to avoid a discussion between them.

He knew that such avoidance was foolish, the man he loved was Sakurazukamori and this, along with the baggage it carried, was something he had chosen to accept.

'Acceptance' was not quite 'forgiveness', however, and it was this detail he was certain Seishiro would pick up on…this detail that the other would twist into something that would hurt the both of them.

"Can we not leave this for a later date…a time when everything is a little more certain?"

"The longer that we leave this the longer it shall fester, Subaru."

Pushing aside his notes he turns to again face the one he loved and enquired,

"What do you have want to say?"

"I talked today to Kamui, discussed with him the nature of his other self and the link that binds us.

"I had thought to push him to realise his true wish…thought to save him before it all became too late and yet…

"In the end I am the one who has learned the most from that discussion."

Seishiro traces his fingers across his brands and, as the things spark into life, he remarks,

"I wish you to belong to me Subaru, wish you to think only of me and to be tainted only by myself. This selfish want is one you comprehend already and that I have allowed you to believe my truest wish.

"This is not, however, the case."

"What then is your true wish?"

"To die, Subaru and to thus be purged of my sins."

"You mean to 'die' by my hand, do you not?"

"Indeed."

A cold fear settles then into his heart and, despite a wish to stop this conversation now, he enquires,

"What if I had refused to do as you wished?"

"I would have acted upon your sister's final spell."

"Final spell?"

"Should I try to kill you as I had killed her it would rebound back onto myself."

The words turn him completely numb and, aware that there is a gap still in this new information, he enquires,

"Why would she cast such a spell and why would you believe it necessary?"

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T: Again please forgive Sei-chan's slight OOC nature but it's necessary for the plot! Wish to note that this whole chapter began because my biggest niggle with X is the lack of communication between the Onmyoji…if only they'd actually talked to one another...next chapter Friday at the latest. Have given up on the review pledge so use your spare time to read something else of mine instead!


	8. Communication

8. Communication.

T: See the chapter title? Yep even more psychobabble…last lot I promise!...I own nothing other that the very complex logic and the plot.

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"Why would she cast such a spell and why would you believe it necessary?"

"Your sister had wish to believe that we might figure things out…had want to believe that I would realise the 'truth' of my feelings for you.

"As to the other, the spell was necessary for the completion of my wish and for the realisation of your own."

"My wish has never been to kill you, Seishiro."

"I do not believe you."

"Why? Because you killed Hokuto, because you broke my heart, because you are Sakurazukamori?

"These things are meaningless to my heart, Seishiro and no matter how much I wished to hate you…wished to push the poison of you from my soul…I could not.

"Thus I thought to die by your hand…thought to be of importance to you even for the briefest of instants…

"Yet even that wish has faded in my heart and now I wish only to love and be loved by you."

This, then, had been why Kamui had all but demanded they communicate and why the boy had seemed so very afraid.

Yet now that this truth was aired what was their next step to be? How did they continue on as though everything was 'fine', when in reality it was far from as such?

Subaru places a gentle kiss to his forehead and a sweet smile clear on his lips he remarks,

"I love you, Seishiro and I wish to let that be enough…wish to push away out past and look, instead, to the future."

"Then what of Hokuto's death…of all the other lives I have stolen away?"

"There is only Hokuto between us and it is clear that she has want for us to be together, thus to hate you for her sake would make her death meaningless."

He is aware that at some point he shall have to tell Subaru of the depth of their connection to one another…shall have to tell him that he is to be the next Sakurazukamori…yet, for the moment, he wishes to cling to this happiness and thus, a smile upon his lips, he remarks,

"Then let us think of the future."

……………………………………………………………………………….

Though Kamui was assured of Subaru's mental strength he was also aware of the weakness hidden well by that power.

Thus he has taken Seishiro's request to heart and, despite a desire to do otherwise; he has planned little for day other than to read quietly.

He is jolted from this quite by a knock on the door and, setting his book to one side, he goes to allow his 'visitor' inside.

Subaru does not look as 'obviously' upset as Kamui believed he might and the younger man is certain as to whether this is a positive or negative thing.

"What brings you here, Subaru?"

"I had a wish to clear my head of spells and wards…"

"Is that everything?"

"No and yet I believe you are aware of this fact."

"What makes you think that?"

"Seishiro has always done things in his manner…has always pushed forwards without regard for his actions…

"To suddenly stop doing as such…to suddenly think of talking through his reasoning…such a change in behaviour could only have come about by the influence of another."

"I do not wish you to believe that I was 'interfering', Subaru…"

"You were concerned."

"More than 'concerned', he wished to die by your hand, Subaru and in wishing as such he was looking to shatter your heart."

"Yet my heart is not shattered, Kamui and I believe Seishiro is beginning to comprehend that a wish to live would give me more contentment that a wish to die." Subaru smiles then and it is so very genuine that Kamui can not help but smile in return.

"Seishiro has discussed with me his belief in regards to the other 'Kamui…"

"And?"

"And I thought that you might have wish to discuss it."

He had managed, subtly, to turn Seishiro away from such a discussion and he thinks to do as such with Subaru also.

The hard line of the others lips swiftly convinces him that such an action is ill advised and, his shoulders slumping slightly, he remarks,

"You'd best come and sit down."

Once they are settled onto the sofa he turns to the other an enquires,

"What do you wish me to say, Subaru?"

"I do not 'wish' you to say anything Kamui; I'm merely worried about what this truth means for you."

"If it is, indeed, a 'truth' then it places me in an even more difficult situation that I had been previously.

"For I had hoped that I might push Fuuma free from his darkness…had hoped that once he was free this fight would be over and yet…"

"Such a wish was hopeless for Fuuma fights free from the mask of darkness."

"How can I fight him now knowing this to be the case? How can I hate him when he has done this all for my sake…for the sake of his love for me...?"

"Do you love Fuuma in return?"

The question is a little unexpected and yet, viewing the matter logically, he can understand why Subaru has asked it.

"I love Fuuma as an older brother only."

He can tell, simply for the tightening of the others smile, that Subaru believes that he is hiding from his feelings and, smiling slightly, he informs the other,

"I am not harbouring any delusions in regard to my feelings, Subaru.

"For though it is true that I have, at times, been a little…excessive…about my attachment to Fuuma, this was merely because of my desperate want to have the last of my 'family' again at my side.

"I say as such with confidence doe my heart had been given over to another."

"To whom do you refer?"

"I believe he 'refers' to myself, Sumeragi-san."

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T: Nothing much to say about this chapter…am still resisting the urge to push for reviews…next update Sunday.


	9. Love

9. Love.

T: Need to warn you of the Keiichi angst in this chapter and of the Kakyo angst (When is Kakyo not angsty?). Everything else remains as it was and you'll be glad to hear that the psychobabble has disappeared for a while! You may also wish to know that there are only three chapters left. Not mine, though if I wish hard enough perhaps it may be one day!

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"I believe he 'refers' to myself, Sumeragi-san."

Keiichi is stood in the doorway, a medium sized bag tossed over one shoulder and his school bag hanging, at a jaunty angle, over the other.

Gaining his feet Kamui relives the other of the heaver of his burden and enquires,

"I believe you've met Keiichi briefly before, Subaru?"

"'Briefly' being the optimum word."

"I must apologise again for the interruption, Sumeragi-san. If I had known Kamui was with another person…"

Subaru's smile fades and he informs Keiichi,

"I am assured that you would still have done as you have now…Kamui is, after all, a precious thing to you and to share him with another…"

"You mistake me, I believe, for another, Sumeragi-san, for though it is true that I love Kamui, I do not feel the need to hold him to me simply for the sake of that emotion.

"He is, after all, a free spirit and thus to cage him would be morally wrong."

"Then why did you not announce your presence sooner?"

"I had thought to announce myself when I stepped into the house, but I heard your voice and thought it rude to interrupt.

"Thus I had intended to retire to the bedroom and unpack, but then I head the distress in Kamui's voice and could not stop myself from looking to see if he was well."

The Onmyoji smile returns at that and, bowing as well as he can while sitting, he informs Keiichi,

"You may call me Subaru, if you have want."

"Then I would be Keiichi to you, Subaru-san."

Kamui little understands what has passed between the two and yet he is glad that the matter has come to a positive conclusion.

"Might you give me a moment, Subaru?"

"Certainly."

It takes him all of a minute to store Keiichi's bag away and he has just stepped back into the hall when Keiichi's fingers tangle into his own.

"Subaru-san will not mind being on his own a few minutes more."

"What is wrong?"

"I had want to ask you that question myself, Kamui, for you sounded so very distressed…"

"I have been battling against the 'other Kamui' with the hope that I might get Fuuma back…that I might have at least a little of my family again at my side…

"Yet that hope was an ignorant one for the 'other Kamui' is little more than an illusion."

"Yet why would he wish you to kill him?"

"To assure that I survive."

Keiichi's fingers tighten, fractionally, upon his skin and, his eyes not quite meeting Kamui's, he enquires,

"Were you sincere in your statement to Subaru-san, Kamui, or did you say such a thing merely because you believe yourself irrevocably tied to me?"

"I love you Keiichi, beyond rational and beyond doubt."

"Yet why? Fuuma has been there always, sheltering and supporting you while I…"

"You gave me friendship when I believed such a thing impossible…trusted your faith to me without question…"

"To love me simply for such things…"

"I love you for you, Keiichi."

The other pulls him into an intense kiss and, once they have separated, he remarks,

"I have a want to be with you through this, Kamui, to shelter and support you as he once did…"

"Yet if you are hurt…"

"I love you, Kamui, so much that I would withstand a thousand tortures simply to keep you safe.

"Yet you wished to say 'if you were hurt I would be destroyed' and so I give you another, more comforting, reply…

"I wish to be at your side and yet, as I am now, I can not do as such…thus I have want to grow…in order that I am strong enough to defend myself and thus strong enough that you will allow me to fight with you."

"For you to change who you are simply for my sake…"

"Not 'change', Kamui, 'adapt'."

"And who will help you perform this 'adaptation'?"

"Sakurazuka-san."

He is little surprised by this answer and, wishing to know the entirety of the matter, he enquires,

"When did you see Seishiro?"

"He was sat out on the pathway 'enjoying the sunshine'"

This explained, at least, how Subaru had known where to find him and it also settled the one fear he had had left in regard to his 'interference' and its ramifications.

For he had believed that Seishiro might become distant again from Subaru now that his truth had been exposed, yet his being here when such a thing was unnecessary, spoke of a want to have Subaru close…of an in composing need to have the other always in sight and to thus be assured of his safety.

"How did you fall upon the subject of being trained then?"

"He asked me if I was serious in my affection for you and when I replied to the positive he asked me if I was prepared for the dangers of being always at your side.

"I hesitated a moment in my reply and smiling he informed me 'I can help you to become prepared, Segawa-kun.'

"Aware of how much you have progressed under his tuition I agreed without hesitation and thus was the deal set."

"When do you begin your lessons then?"

"Sunday." He smiles then and leasing his hold on Kamui's fingers he enquires, "I believe Subaru-san has been kept waiting long enough, do you not?"

"He has indeed."

"Then let us return to the living room."

………………………………………………………………………………..

He is not used to sharing his bed with another and, though the warmth at his back is a comfort, he feels also trapped and a little feverish.

With such a contraction of feeling swimming through his mind he has managed but three hours sleep and even this had been in short, half hour, increments.

He had wish to be mentally awake tomorrow, for he had offered to aid Subaru in the search for a solution to the 'problem' with the Shinken and thus he knows he needs to get some 'proper' sleep.

He briefly entertains the idea of spending the night on the larger of the two sofas in the sitting room, but swiftly dismissed it when he realises how such an action may be viewed by the other.

He decides, eventually, to make himself a glass of warm milk and he has just extricated himself from Keiichi's grasp when a sudden wave of fatigue takes him.

He recognises this as the spell of a Dreamseer a moment too late to resist and he pulled, unwilling, into the familiar inky darkness of the dreamscape.

The figure who sits but a little before him is not Hinoto and, all too aware of how precarious a situation he is in, he enquires,

"Are you the Dreamseer of the Dragons of Earth?"

"I am."

"Then why are you here…why have you called me to you?"

The Dreamseer gestures to his right and there blooms the image of a woman whom Kamui recognises, all but instantly, as Hokuto.

"I loved this girl so much and yet that care was not enough to stop fate…to stop her from dying."

A crimson stain spreads about the heart of the image and then it explodes into a cloud of sakura blossoms.

"Her wish, as with so many in this world, was not to be realised and she was to die a senseless death."

"You mean that Seishiro would have died at Subaru's hand?"

"Yes and, in accordance with the rule of fate, Subaru would have filled the vacant seat within the Dragon's Earth."

"What of now?"

"The small threads that link together to form the future have begun to change…the Kekkai upon the Rainbow Bridge will fall now by a hand other than the Sakurazukamori's, the wish in your heart has turned from what it might have become and, most importantly, the Shinken will remain structurally sound."

"Yet what does this mean for myself…for the future of this world?"

"Everything will remain as it was as long as your remain ignorant of the betrayal of one whom you trust and as long as the Sakurazukamori keep his final secret close to his heart."

"Yet who has betrayed me and what secret is Seishiro harbouring?"

"I can not answer you directly, Kamui, for your other self watches me always.

"I wish to hold hope, however, that the words of she who loved you hold true and thus I will again influence your dreams…

"Will again give you a glimpse of what is to come."

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T: To be truthful I wasn't actually going to make Kamui's first dream prophetic but then the plot turned and it made more sense for it to be as such…as Hinoto is, by this point, evil, such a dream could only come to the Shirou via Kakyou and thus I needed to point this out and explain why the Dreamseer was aiding the 'enemy'.

I wish to point out, randomly, that I am amused by the concept of Sei-chan and Keiichi training together...have a whole montage in my head…am very aware of how sad this makes me! Next chapter tomorrow.


	10. Dream

10. Dream.

T: I always have one troubled chapter in each of my stories and this is it for Graduation! It got drafted twice before I reached this version and I still don't like the over all effect of it…thus I issue a unique 'it gets better next chapter' warning! Everything else remains the same and yep, you guessed it, I still own only the plot!

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He is standing upon Tokyo tower, the city before him flattened and flooded simply for the sake of the war.

"Do you think it odd that such destruction is so beautiful?" The last is Keiichi and turning his head he is met with the others smiling face.

The scene shifts before he can form a reply and he is faced now with the semi darkness of the room beneath the centre of the pentagram.

Noruko is crouched before the invisible shield about the Shinken, one hand lying flat on what, to Kamui, looks little more than thin air and the other tangled hard into the edge of Suoh's coat.

"Are you certain that there is no other way?" He enquires, his eyes drifting to Suoh's face a moment before the fall, again, upon the Shinken.

"If Sumeragi-san were here to offer his insight then perhaps another solution may have been found….yet with him missing…"

Again the dream shifts and he is stood now beneath the shelter of the tree that Seishiro had claimed as his own.

"Why are you here, Kamui?" The words are spoken in a voice so akin to Subaru's that it can only be the Onmyoji and yet…

Both the words and he who had spoken then, seem so empty…seem to be wrung completely of all emotion.

"What has happened to you?"

Subaru smiles a cold, empty, smile and replies,

"I have died inside."

The dream shifts one last time and he is stood now beneath the Diet Building.

Hinoto is smiling in the same empty manner as Subaru had done and there is a general feeling of malice about here that he had not felt from her before.

'You must forgive me, Kamui, if I had but seen this coming…if I were not trapped by the Dreamseer of The Dragons of Earth…'

The smile broadens and he feels suddenly afraid of the princess…feels suddenly very alone in the basement.

He jolts suddenly into waking, the clawing panic he feels doused both by the soft light of the morning sunshine and the gentle comfort of Keiichi's warmth.

"What is wrong?"

"I thought you were asleep."

"I've been watching you toss about for a half hour now."

"Sorry."

"I do not wish an apology, Kamui, I wish to know what caused you such distress."

"I had a bad dream."

"About killing Fuuma?"

He knows that it would be simpler to reply to the positive…knows that it is wrong for him to burden Keiichi with what might be unfounded worries and yet…

He has no wish to again lie to the other…has no wish to again abuse the shear strength of faith that Keiichi has in him.

Thus he buries himself a little further into the oppressive comfort of the others arms and informs him.

"It was not about destroying Fuuma, but rather about the events leading up to the Final Battle."

"What occurred within these events to upset you so?"

He proceeds to tell Keiichi the entirety of the dream, assured that the other will listen carefully to his words and give him an insight into the images that may, otherwise, have been lost to him.

………………………………………………………………………………

He had long been anticipating a 'visit' from the other Kamui and thus it is only mildly surprising to find the boy waiting for him at his favourite restaurant.

"Good morning, Kamui-kun, I am glad to see that you are keeping well."

"Good morning, Sakurazuka-san." He smiles in the open and oh so cruel manner that defines his character and gesturing to the empty seat across from him he enquires, "Would you care to join me/"

"I would be delighted."

He settles into the indicated seat and orders a strong black coffee before he enquires,

"Have you a want to discuss my recent involvement with your 'friend'?"

"You have been 'interfering', have been using you're your influence to twist that boys mind and thus you have been making things infinitely more difficult for myself."

"I have merely opened his eyes to the truth of his situation."

"Yet why? Of what difference does it make to you if that boy lingers in ignorance or no?"

"That boy has become of significance within my life and within the life of he whom I cherish the most, thus I have want for him to be happy…have want for him to live his life free of false hopes."

"Yet by doing as such you have denied him the chance of fulfilling his hearts truest wish."

"That particular wish was something that even you had no want to fulfil and something that has been replaced now by more realistic and less volatile desire."

"I have no want to discuss that replacement wish."

"Then I shall let the matter rest…"

"You have want to say 'we all of us have secrets' and yet those words are sincere merely for the secret that you keep still close to your heart."

"I applaud your perceptive ability, Kamui-kun and yet, will all due respect, I believe we should move away from this matter."

"Do you think to threaten me, Sakurazuka-san?"

"My intent was more to 'warn' than 'threaten', Kamui-kun."

The other snatches Seishiro's coffee from him and, once he has consumed what remains of the beverage, he remarks,

"You have want to act out the succession…have want to give over all that you are to he that you love…no matter the misery that such an act will cause.

"My other self would tell you that you are being 'selfish' and would attempt to twist you from that desire…yet, unlike yourself, I have no wish to mimic the actions of my opposite and thus I am content to let you continue on this path."

"Are you not going to warn me away from Kamui?"

"You shall be the one to place him back into my influence, Sakurazuka-san and thus to warn you from him would be pointless, do you not think so?" 'Kamui' bows in an overly formal manner and then leaves him to ponder over his typically enigmatic words.

…………………………………………………………………………………

"We know already that the flashes of this dream are separate occurrences within the space of time leading up to, and upon, the Final Battle.

"It is also clear to me that these flashes occur within a reverse order in your dream, for the first image you saw was clearly the last to occur chronologically.

"As to the images themselves…" Keiichi trails and the silence stretches for so long that Kamui believe this shall be all he hears from the other.

Eventually the serious look upon the others face intensifies and he remarks,

"We can forget about that last image for it holds little within it other than a warning of an upcoming flood, I would forget, also, the images within the chamber of the Shinken for I little understand that particular situation…"

"I comprehend well the warning within the image of Subaru and thus we are left with Hinoto…with that unnerving smile…"

"This image is a warning about Hinoto, a warning that she too is little more that an illusionary being."

"Yet if that is true what does it mean for us….for the Princesses wish?"

"It is clear that you can no longer trust the Princess in the unconditional manner that you had previously…that you must begin to view her as a potential enemy."

"You make such a change sound so simple…"

"I know this is hard, love and yet…"

"I have the 'fate of the world' to consider."

Keiichi places a chaste kiss to his forehead and informs him,

"You are letting the ugly nature of this situation swamp you."

"I know, Keiichi and I'm sorry…it is just…"

The unique pain of a Kekkai lances through his head and a brief image of Arashi blooms before him.

"I have to go!" He remarks as he pulls, at last, from Keiichi's embrace.

"What is the matter?"

"Arashi is in trouble."

"Be careful, sweet."

"Of course."

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T: I wished the first section of this chapter to be a show case of what might have happened from this point on and yet I couldn't get the dream working in the same fluid manner as the previous…thus I was left with the broken scenes and the terrible necessity of explaining each image rather than allowing the reader to draw their own conclusion.

This all proves that I write better when I let the story come naturally rather than planning what I want from it! Next chapter tomorrow.


	11. Team

11. Team.

T: Next chapter is the last and thus this one has a technical cliff-hanger! Warnings back to the way they were at chapter nine and I fear that I still own only the plot!

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The mood is oddly sour and yet, given the situation, this is forgivable.

He had made it to Inogashira park in time to see Soratta collapse without warning…in time to see the blood spreading across his face and the shear panic in Arashi's eyes.

He'd arrived at the Clamp Campus hospital to find not only the remaining seals, but also Noruko and Subaru waiting for him.

Yuzihara had explained that they'd all been worried about Soratta and that they'd come to make sure everything was all right.

This short explanation had been the last that anyone had talked and they had been sat now for a good hour in silence.

Noruko shifts, suddenly, from his place against the wall and, his every step an effort clear on his deathly pail face; he comes to stand directly in the centre of the group.

"I hope that you all see the lesson in this occurrence."

Each of the group looks, for a moment, to the other and eventually Aoki enquires,

"What 'lesson' would this be, Imonoyama-san?"

"I believe that would be 'we are stronger as a team' is that not so, Imonoyama-san?"

"That is correct Kazumi-san."

"Such a thing is a little idealistic, do you not think?"

"Why do you say such a thing Aoki-san?" Noruko enquires.

"We all of us have a separate purpose for joining the war…separate motives that are, occasionally, detrimental to one another."

"Why should that make a difference?" Subaru enquires, his hands stretching to rest upon Kamui's shoulder, "Why should your personal motivations change anything? You all fight this battle with but one goal in my…all fight to keep this world safe."

"Many good people have given their lives for that goal…have sacrificed so much and every time we fight amongst ourselves we undermine that sacrifice…make their deaths empty.

"I have allowed such a thing too long…have stood idle for fear of having another hurt for my sake…

"Yet I have no want for this world to fade away…no want for Kotori's death to be for nothing…and thus it stops now."

The Seals look to one another and then again to Kamui, the surprise in their eyes mixing with an odd pride.

"Let's fight together for the future." He remarks as he stretches his hand, palm down, before him.

Yuzihara's hand is the first to join his and, smiling brightly, she remarks,

"For the future."

Karen joins next, a playful wink accompanying he smile and her words.

Aoki seems hesitant and then, a grim determination on his face, he places his hand onto the pile and remarks,

"For the future that Daisuke believed in."

………………………………………………………………………

Kamui is glad to see, upon being admitted into Soratta's room, that the other is in better health than he had feared.

Indeed there is only the sling about the others right arm and the desperation with which Arashi is clinging to him, which tells of the dramatic conclusion to the mornings events.

"Imonoyama-san came here earlier to tell me of your rousing speech."

"Would that I had said such words earlier and then perhaps…"

"You have done as was right for you, Kamui, none of us can ask for more than that."

There is a moment of silence and then Soratta enquires,

"Would you mind giving us a moment, missy?" There is obviously something hidden within the request for Arashi smiles a little as she replies,

"Of course."

"Would you also be so kind as to ask Subaru to join us?" Kamui enquires.

"Certainly."

Once the Onmyoji crosses into the room Soratta enquires,

"What do you wish to talk to me of, Kamui-kun?"

"Last night I was paid a visit by the Dreamseer of the Dragons of Earth. He told me of what the future was to be and warned me of a danger hidden from us.

"I had no want to believe his words and yet there is something within them that seems right somehow."

"What, then, is this danger?"

"Princess Hinoto…or rather the shadow in her heart."

"I too would dismiss this warning as little more than a trick and yet it is as you have said, Kamui." Soratta reaches into his pocket and pulls free and Ofuda of a sort Kamui had seen only once before this day.

"Where did you get that Ofuda?"

"The Princess informed us that two Kekkai were to fall and the location of these Kekkai was far enough apart that there was little choice but to divide our force.

"I went alone to the Kekkai in Ginza and had been there but two minutes when I felt Arashi raise her barrier.

"I thought to go and help her and then a shikigami appeared before me. With the Princess's voice the thing begged me to stay…begged me to protect the Kekkai and then it faded into this Ofuda.

"Something about the nature of it worried me and so I placed it into my pocket with the intent of showing it to Sumeragi-san."

"When first I came to Tokyo I was set upon by a large group of men…in the wake of their destruction was left an Ofuda identical to this one."

"This Ofuda has little intent but curse an individual…but to bring harm." Subaru remarks as he takes the thing from Soratta's hand. "The aura about it is full of the heat of anger and a bitterness that is all but consuming…yet within that negativity lingers a little of the calm and the ice that I have come to associate with Hinoto."

"Then there is indeed a shadow in her heart?" Kamui enquires.

"Not precisely, no."

"What do you mean?"

"I believe that the shadow is now in control of the Princess and she whom we think of as Hinoto has been pushed deep into her heart."

"What does this mean for us…for the Princess?"

"Go and talk to her, Kamui-kun…see if there might be a way to push the shadow back to where it belongs and if there is not…" Soratta's words falter and, despite the creeping fear spreading in his heart, Kamui responds with a confident,

"I understand."

…………………………………………………………………………….

There is hostility present in the air of the basement that serves both to unsettle Kamui further and to recall to him the last image within his dream.

Hien and Sohi had not been there to great him, this oddity explained quickly by the two Ofuda that sit now at Hinoto's side.

'You wish to know why she has fallen to my power…wish to know if you have a chance to save her, is that not so?' The words appear direct in his mind just as the Princess's always have and yet the voice is not completely as that he associates with Hinoto.

"Firstly I would know to whom it is that I am talking."

'I am the darkness within her soul.'

"Tell me of how you have come to be as you are and of the two things you mentioned previously."

'For so very long she has born the weight of the future upon her shoulders…has known that he she might have come to love would be destroyed simply for her sake.

'It is a pain she has born for the hope if dying…of being freed, at last, from the endless prison of her dreams.

'That hope was stolen away, however, and thus she allowed me in…thus did I gain at last the freedom that I had long desired.'

"Are you not free still?"

'Not precisely, no, for there is hope again that her wish might be fulfilled and for the sake of that hope she has become strong…has begun to pull me again into her heart.'

"She believes that I shall destroy her?"

'Yes.'

"I can not do such a thing."

'Then you are even more a fool than I had believed.'

Hinoto's body begins to tremble then and, for a brief instant, her eyes clear of shadow and of hate,

'Please, Kamui, let me go. Please, I beg of you.'

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T: You see? It's not quite a proper ending and not quite a cliffy, thus the 'technical cliff-hanger' warning!

The 'event' that causes Arashi to flee in volume 18 of X has not occurred here due to the bad timing of one Imonoyama Noruko! This basically so Arashi can stay on the side of the good rather than cross over (as she seems to be doing in the manga).

Next chapter tomorrow and it shall be the LAST ONE so review while you can people!


	12. Peace

12. Peace.

T: The final chapter and in true final chapter tradition I am upping the angst warning just a smidge! Also beware the not 'quite an ending' ending! I own enough Clamp merchandise to be shareholder but sadly I am neither one of those nor one of the four ladies that make up the company!

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'Please, Kamui let me go. Please, I beg of you.'

He had come to this place with the intent of simply talking to Hinoto…of seeing what had to be seen and then going again to discuss the matter with Soratta and Subaru.

Yet the desperation in Hinoto's voice wrenches at something deep within him and, before he his conscious of what he is doing, he has leased a ball of energy from his fingers.

The 'dark Hinoto' begins to scream the instant that the ball connects with her body, this sound twisting, slowly, into a quiet whimper in the 'light Hinoto's' voice.

'Thank you, Kamui.' She remarks after a moment, a bright smile blossoming onto her lips.

He wishes to ask her to forgive him, wishes to ask her if there is a way for him to take this action back and yet…

The shear sincerity of that smile prevents him from doing anything other than to stand, mute, but a hands breadth from the other.

'Head me well, Kamui, for I have a warning to impart before the last of my breath has fled me.

'The Sakurazukamori is keeping the matter of his succession close for a reason and less you expose that reason…less your realise this hidden truth…all that you have hoped for shall fade to nothing." There is a little of the 'other' Hinoto's bitterness in the words and, his temporary rigor broken, he moves a step closer with the intent of asking for a little more information…with the intent of seeing if he might not yet be able to undo the harm he has caused…

Hinoto is dead.

He bids the other a final farewell and then leaves the basement for the last time, intent now on finding Subaru and preventing the terrible eventuality of the other's future that he had seen within his dream.

………………………………………………………………………………….

He has come to stand within the shade of the sakura, the proximity of the tree and the general peace of the day, aiding him to focus his mind away from the discomfort of his 'talk' with Fuuma.

He is not, however, serene enough to miss the approach of the unique magical essence of Subaru and, smiling gently, he enquires,

"Have you come to keep me company, sweet?"

"I have come to talk to you of the sakura and of my place in its future."

"Might I ask how you learned of my intent for the succession?"

"Hinoto-san hinted to Kamui that there was something you were hiding from him and, fearful of what such a thing might mean, he came to see me.

"I held the missing piece in the mystery he had been puzzling over and, unknown to me, he held an answer to my own mystery.

"For Kamui knew that I was to be your successor and yet was ignorant as to what such a thing meant.

"I knew of the succession…knew that the new Sakurazukamori had to destroy the old in order to truly fill that position…yet I was ignorant to whom you had in mind for such an act.

"Now, however, neither of us is ignorant…."

"Are you angry with me, Subaru?"

"Why should I be angry, Seishiro? How can I hear these words and feel anything other than an overwhelming pity?

"For it is clear to me now that your lineage carries on not through blood as I had believed, but through the heart.

"To love is to become week…is to allow your mind to focus upon the preservation of another rather than the preservation of your self…thus to love, for one such as the Sakurazukamori, is to die." Subaru's fingers press, softly, to his face and then he remarks, "How terrible it must have been for you, Seishiro, to realise that you loved me, that I, in turn, loved you and to know that you would be unable to live forever in the warmth of that love.

"To know that, eventually, you would have to push me again from you in order that I would destroy you and thus insure the continuation of the tree.

"I pity you that knowledge…pity the damage it must have done to your psyche…I also have wish to believe that there is another way, that you might yet be able to spend the rest of your life here at my side."

"You are being idealistic."

"More than likely and yet I still can not but cling to that hope."

: There is wisdom in his words, Seishiro. :

'You mean there may be another way?'

: Yes. :

He opens his eyes then and looking to the beautiful smile upon Subaru's lips he has wish to believe that both his beloved and the tree shall prove correct….

Has wish to believe that even one such as he might be allowed a little contentment within his life.

………………………………………………………………………………

The solution to the 'issue' of the Shinken had been found after both Suoh and Akira had come to 'discuss' the matter with Subaru.

The Takumura had been the first to arrive, the mix of fatigue and concern in his eyes aging him greatly.

He had informed Subaru that he could no longer stand idle and watch Noruko suffer…had all but begged the Sumeragi to turn the backlash of the spell towards him.

He had told the Takumura that he would think on the request despite the risks it held and had just settled back into working when Akira had entered the room.

The finance sectary had informed Subaru that he had had enough of being kept from this matter, had had enough of watching Noruko fading, day by day, into a shadow.

The other had then proceeded, as the Takumura before him; to beg that Noruko's suffering might be placed onto his head…had begged that he might be made of some use to his companions.

He had dismissed Akira with the same promise to 'think things over' and, once he was again alone, he had begun to work on a theory that had begun to bloom in his head.

This theory had turned, eventually, into the perfect solution and the next day he had arranged a meeting in the chamber of the Shinken, in order to put this solution into effect.

When informing Kamui of the matter later in the day he had remarked,

"If not for those two I'd still be buried in research."

"To think that they would be so willing to sacrifice themselves for one person…"

"A good leader shall always inspire that sort of dedication, Kamui and, in this instance at least, we should be glad for it."

"That is true, at least…how are they?"

"Because the backlash was shared between the three of them the effects are less than they might have been and I am certain that they shall be back to their normal selves by the end of the week."

"That is good to hear."

"How are you, Kamui?"

The boy smiles and, his eyes focusing on the middle distance, he remarks,

"I've decided to take Keiichi's advice and live each day as it comes."

"I am glad."

Subaru knew that, eventually, the day would come where Kamui would have to make his choice…where everything could turn, so very suddenly, sour and yet…

That day is not today.

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T: warned you did I not? Am not going to bore you with the logic of this chapter but am, instead going to ask nicely that you review…I can't answer back now, after all!


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